PC board connector with shorting bus bar

Abstract

An elongated printed circuit (PC) board connector having a plurality of terminal pins aligned in a linear array has attached to its terminal pins an elongated, linear, U-shaped bus bar with a plurality of apertures in its lower edge. A plurality of U-shaped conductors are inserted through respective pairs of edge apertures in the bus bar, with the distal ends of each of the conductors adapted for coupling to a terminal on a PC board upon which the connector is mounted by means of a pair of support columns and nut/bolt combinations. The bus bar, terminal pins and conductor combination is then dip soldered to establish mechanical coupling and electrical connection therebetween. The shorting bus bar electrically couples the conductors to the terminal pins, with each conductor coupled across a plurality of terminal pins which are thus maintained at the same voltage to maintain the bus bar at a constant, uniform voltage over its entire length and to provide this well-defined voltage level to the PC board terminals.

I claim: 
     
       1. A PC board edge connector coupled to a first PC board maintained at a given voltage level, said connector comprising: an elongated housing open along first and second facing edges thereof and adapted for coupling to the first PC board along the first edge thereof and including a plurality of spaced, linearly aligned terminal pins along the second edge thereof;   conductive mounting means for engaging a plurality of said terminal pins of said housing, said conductive mounting means including an elongated, linear bus bar comprised of a resilient material and having an upper, open edge adapted to receive said terminal pins in tight-fitting engagement and a lower, closed edge;   conducting means including a plurality of leads extending therefrom engaged by the lower, closed edge of said mounting means and maintained in electrical connection with and across a plurality of said terminal pins by said mounting means; and   conductive coupling means for electrically coupling said terminal pins, said mounting means and said conducting means, wherein the leads of said conducting means are maintained at the voltage level of the first PC board.   
     
     
       2. The PC board edge connector of claim 1 further comprising mounting means for securely positioning the edge connector on a second PC board. 
     
     
       3. The PC board edge connector of claim 2 wherein said mounting means includes spacer means for mounting said connector to said second PC board in a spaced manner. 
     
     
       4. The PC board edge connector of claim 3 wherein said spacer means includes a plurality of elongated, linear sleeves for engaging and supporting respective end portions of said housing. 
     
     
       5. The PC board edge connector of claim 4 wherein said mounting means further includes a plurality of nut and bolt combinations adapted for insertion within a respective one of said sleeves and coupling to said second PC board as well as to respective ends of said housing. 
     
     
       6. The PC board edge connector of claim 5 wherein the PC board includes a plurality of apertures each adapted to receive a respective connector lead and wherein said sleeves are flexible to allow for limited displacement of the connector in a plane parallel to the plane of the PC board to facilitate alignment of said leads with said PC board apertures. 
     
     
       7. The PC board edge connector of claim 1 wherein the lower edge of said bus bar includes a plurality of apertures along the length thereof through which the leads of said conducting means extend. 
     
     
       8. The PC board edge connector of claim 7 wherein said conducting means is a generally U-shaped conductor having an intermediate portion coupling respective ends of the leads thereof. 
     
     
       9. The PC board edge connector of claim 8 wherein the leads of the U-shaped conductor extend through edge apertures of the bus bar and the intermediate portion of the conductor is positioned within the bus bar. 
     
     
       10. The PC board edge connector of claim 9 wherein said conductive coupling means is solder. 
     
     
       11. The PC board edge connector of claim 10 wherein said bus bar includes a plurality of lateral apertures along the length thereof to facilitate the flow of said solder into said bus bar and onto said terminal pins and conductive means. 
     
     
       12. The PC board edge connector of claim 11 wherein said bus bar has an open upper diverging portion to facilitate its positioning on and engagement with the terminal pins. 
     
     
       13. The PC board edge connector of claim 12 wherein said bus bar further includes an intermediate portion positioned between the upper and lower portions thereof and having a pair of spaced members for securely engaging the terminal pins therebetween along the length of said bus bar. 
     
     
       14. The PC board edge connector of claim 1 wherein said connector is coupled to a second PC board having a plurality of terminals to each of which is coupled a respective one of said leads of said conducting means. 
     
     
       15. The PC board edge connector of claim 1 further including a plurality of combinations of mounting means, conducting means and coupling means coupled to and engaging respective pluralities of connector terminal pins.